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Russia backs Iran election results

Updated: 2009-06-23 15:21

MOSCOW: Russia says it backs the results of Iran's presidential elections _ a crucial vote of confidence for hard-liner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who says he won re-election by a landslide.

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The Foreign Ministry also says that disputes about the June 12 vote "should be settled in strict compliance with Iran's Constitution and law" and are "exclusively an internal matter."

The statement was posted on the ministry's Web site late Monday.

Iranian opposition supporters allege systematic fraud and have demanded a new election.

They have staged near-daily protests challenging the Ahmadinejad claim to re-election.

Meanwhile Tuesday, Iran's state TV reported that the country's top electoral body found "no major fraud" in the vote and ruled out annulling the results.